


the spring is near (you're not quite here)

by IrisVioletta



Series: seasons pass [2]
Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: 1999, Dreams, F/M, Magnets, Some angst, and eleven doesn't even know who she is anymore, lots of feelings, mike just wants to fix everything, some fun times, they're adults now and everything is more complicated than ever
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-28
Updated: 2019-04-03
Packaged: 2019-12-25 13:33:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,062
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18262334
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IrisVioletta/pseuds/IrisVioletta
Summary: A year has passed since Mike learned the truth of how El was recaptured in 1984, and he's on a one-man crusade to get her back. But fifteen years back in the lab have changed Eleven, and she's not sure she even wants to be found. As she visits him in dreams, they become reacquainted and drawn to one another all over again. Sparks are beginning to fly, but at what cost?(Sequel to seasons pass - must read first!)





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> Direct sequel to seasons pass and we're not the same

_October 1999_

“Michael Wheeler.”

Eleven startled and almost lost concentration. She was curled on her bed, tapping into conversations around the lab as she often did. Usually it was to get a heads up on the next assignment, or to catch any restricted information she might need in order to protect herself. But she wasn’t expecting to hear that name. 

Why on earth were they talking about Mike?

She hugged her knees closer as she concentrating on listening again. They must have been on another floor; she had trouble getting full sentences. 

“...seems to know things…”

“...hacked into DOE servers…”

“...insider information…”

“...poses a threat…”

“...Hawkins...Project 011…”

“...untraceable…”

The conversation moved to something else and Eleven fell back into herself. What exactly was Mike up to?

She hadn’t thought of him in months, hadn’t checked in on him in nearly a year. Last time she saw him, he was in his basement on Thanksgiving. Discovering a truth she’d known for a long time now. His rage and sorrow had been palpable even through the void. She’d been too afraid to look for him ever since. 

That must have been the turning point. He hadn’t messed with the DOE before, at least to her knowledge. She’d only heard his name inside her own head, when she was on the edge between wake and sleep. Where it was safe to remember things. 

Eleven blew a stray hair out of her face and sighed. She needed to do something before he got himself killed. 

A vision flashed through her mind, the sight of young Mike crumpled on the cabin floor. The last time she’d laid eyes on him in person. 

\---

_November 1984_

“Goodbye, Mike.”

El carried the image of his tear-stained face with her through the cabin door and into the car. She held onto it during the long ride. It was easier to think of him, even in pain, than to really look around her. A guard was behind the wheel and Dr. Randolph sat beside him, writing on a notepad. He gave El the same queasy feeling that Papa had. But that wasn’t as bad as what was right next to her. 

Twelve’s back was straight and rigid, his cold eyes locked on the headrest in front of him. His hands lay stiffly on his thighs and he kept completely still. No, he was what truly scared her. 

Her shock from earlier still hadn’t worn off. She hadn’t been prepared at the cabin. This was the first time she’d ever been confronted by someone who could affect her powers. And she’d failed. This was a new frontier and suddenly everything felt more dangerous than it ever had. And she was _terrified_.

After several hours, they drove up to a building that eerily resembled Hawkins Lab. But while the other lab was now a husk filled with bodies, this one was thriving. The parking lot was full and people could be seen bustling in and out of the front doors. They pulled around to a back entrance to keep El out of sight as they forced her out of the car. Mike’s face remained in her mind and she felt a rush of determination. 

She would get out of here. She’d done it before, she could do it again.

El struggled as they dragged her down the hall, the cold steel of a gun pressed against her head. She fought as they strapped her into a chair. As they removed her shoes, she managed to throw one guard across the room. Twelve was brought in to hold her in place and still she fought. She couldn’t move or speak, but she fought until blood ran from her ears (and tears covered her face).

In the end, they got their way and the razor vibrated against her skull. She watched from the corner of her eye as the curls fell to the floor, and felt a layer of resistance fade away. 

The last thing she saw before succumbing to unconsciousness was a smirk forming on Twelve’s face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter to set the stage. Thanks for reading! I can't explain just how excited I am to finally write and share this story with you all. Let me know your thoughts :)
> 
>  
> 
> Next: With some help, Eleven visit Mike in a dream to tell him to back off.


	2. Chapter Two

_October 1999_

Eleven was expecting Fifteen to protest more when she asked her the favor. But once she mentioned that Mike was the boy in the basement from last year, the other girl immediately agreed. 

Fifteen had a unique ability: she could enter people’s minds. She could hear their thoughts, see through their eyes, watch their dreams. The DOE was still hoping that she would someday be able to control minds, but for now she was key for reconnaissance missions. She and Eleven were often paired up, as Fifteen was able to enter her void as she needed. She had the power to help Eleven with her problem. But, more importantly, Eleven _trusted_ her. 

“But you know this is dangerous, right?” She asked softly, fighting the urge to wring her hands. 

Fifteen shrugged. “Everything we do is dangerous. At least this is for _you_ , not them.”

They quietly planned for a week, only speaking of it while in the void in case of any listening ears. Eleven had the advantage of her own room, but Fifteen was still in the dormitories. They would need to be careful. 

Finally they settled on a safe date, late enough to ensure that Mike was asleep. So at three in the morning, snuggled in her bed and draped under her blanket, Eleven slipped into her void. Fifteen quickly joined her and reached out. 

“Are you ready?”

Eleven paused, trying to calm her heartbeat, before taking her hand. “Yes.”

The younger woman smiled as she and the void faded away, and Eleven found herself in a strange room. A large sofa sat in the middle and several books and videotapes were spread on the floor. Everything was just a little bit off… She couldn’t tell where the light was coming from and the walls were slowly changing colors, as if they couldn’t make up their mind. But her eyes were quickly drawn to the far corner where a young man stood, looking down at a book. His dark hair hung over his face and she could just barely make out freckles underneath. 

Her breath hitched. She’d found him. 

Mike wasn’t sure what he was reading about, the words kept swirling around. Something about a dog? Or nuclear war? He couldn’t remember how he got here… he was supposed to find something? Everything was a bit hazy. He had the eerie feeling of being watched and looked up to lock eyes with a young woman across the room. Her own eyes were wide, lips barely parted. 

He had the strangest feeling that he knew her. She seemed to snap to attention, and he could see her entire stance change. Her gaze grew steely and she stood taller. Even the aura around her seemed to grow colder.

_This is it. Get it over with_ , she told herself before speaking in her most direct voice. The one she used on missions. “Mike.” 

Her voice was familiar… _Oh._ His eyes widened. 

“El?”

That one little word, two tiny letters, and ice ran through Eleven’s veins. No one had called her that in years. Even she had stopped thinking of herself with that name. _Push through, you have to push through._ “Yes.”

The rest of the room suddenly came into focus and Mike noticed the odd details, like the iridescent walls and the words on the books that weren’t in any recognizable language. 

“This is a dream, right?” He asked, but he wasn’t even sure what he wanted the answer to be.

She nodded. “Yes, it’s a dream. But I’m real. I came here to… to warn you.”

“How do I know I’m not just making you up?” But he already knew. The El he usually dreamt about was either the little girl he had known or a blurry grown-up version of her. But this El was sharply defined and her demeanor was different. He could see the cautious way she had been the night in the rain, but now there was another layer, something harder and detached. Something wrong. 

“Because you’re not going to like what I have to say.” She steeled herself. “I know what you’re doing. With the Department of Energy. And _they_ know. You need to leave them alone.”

Mike felt his body relax. She _knew._ For years he’d assumed that the whole thing was his fault, that he would only make things worse if he got involved. But Jonathan revealing the truth at Thanksgiving had changed everything. He’d felt an insatiable _need_ to do something, so he threw himself into finding out everything he could about the DOE. He made friends with hackers and conspiracy theorists, anyone who was questioning this branch of the government. And while they had had success stealing information, he had never shared just why he cared. Months passed this way as Mike ignored Nancy’s calls and Sophie left and his life became consumed by this mission.

And now El was here, wherever here was. 

“Leave it alone,” Eleven repeated, not liking how his eyes softened. It was too similar to that night at the Byers’, when he was just a little boy with a watery smile. He looked so old and so young right now, standing before her. It was too dangerous to stay much longer. 

But Mike only smiled. “El, it’s starting to work. I’m actually getting somewhere with this.”

Every time he called her by that old nickname, she felt a pang in her heart. Why was this so hard? “You’re going get yourself killed. Whatever you have against them, you need to let it go and move on. Now.”

“No, El, I don’t think you get it. I’m doing this for _you._ I’m sorry I didn’t start sooner, I just, I thought it was all my fault and I thought I would make things worse. But I’m here now and-” He took a step toward her and she automatically stepped back to match it. It was purely instinct: she was very familiar with the void’s physical limitations. 

Mike stopped, almost hurt that she had backed away, but his smiled stayed. “And I’m going to get you out.”

“Mike-”

“I’m gonna get you out of there. I promise.” 

Her jaw clenched. Of course he used that word. She knew he had good intentions, but it felt like a dirty trick nonetheless. 

“And I promise you it won’t work,” she insisted. 

“It will. I will make it work. And then you’ll be...you’ll be safe.”

She heard all that he wasn’t saying, too. That she would be with him. That they would be together. She envied him this silly hope, but she needed to end it. 

“Just because you helped me once, it doesn’t mean we’re connected for life. We’re like…” Her eyes darted around as she searched for what to say. “We’re like two bodies in space. We hit and broke apart. And now we’re floating away from one another.”

“No.” His voice was hard. He knew what the truth was and he needed her to understand. 353 days. _I never gave up._ He’d do it again and again, as long as it took. 

She was silent.

“No,” Mike repeated. “We’re magnets. We’ll keep finding each other.”

Eleven let out a humorless snort. “You don’t even know me anymore.” 

“I bet I would still love you.”

She looked back up at him, her eyes tired and worn. “Love? We were just kids, Mike. We didn’t have any time.”

He didn’t respond, but she could tell by the look in his eyes that he didn’t agree. She shook her head and tried to get back on track. How had they even gotten here?

“Anyway, like I told you - you need to back off. Please, _please_ leave it alone.” She started to back away, as if there were a door she could leave through. 

“I’m not afraid of them, y’know,” he blurted, trying to get her to stay close. 

Her smile was sad. “Don’t you understand? They always win.”

Mike was at a loss and his shoulders slumped. “What happened? The El I knew would have fought for her freedom. She wouldn’t give up.”

“I told you - you don’t know me anymore.” 

But her voice had the slightest tremor and he heard it. There was a crack in that armor and he was going to find it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!! Let me know what you think :)
> 
> Next up: a flashback and more of El's past


End file.
